Powering the ECO Excavator Project
Meeting the increasingly stricter environmental requirements brings challenges for construction companies. The ECO Excavator project addresses this urgent issue and is working on a solution that can reduce the CO2 emissions of existing excavators from an average of 60 tons to a stunning zero. The ECO Excavator consortium consists of Van Beers Hoogeloon building contractors, HFX-Research and H2Storage, and is developing a zero-emission hydrogen-powered excavator, called Custa. The minimum requirement is that the Hydrogen Custa equals the continuity and production capacity of a conventional excavator or preferably exceeds the performance of its fossil fueled predecessors.
The challenge
Machines are responsible for no less than 9% of CO2 emissions from mobile sources in the Netherlands. The market, government and society are focused on faster development of the energy transition and there is an urgent need for environmentally friendly and cleaner construction work. After the first contact in April 2022, with the partners of het hydrogen excavator consortium much information was exchanged, but it also became clear that the goal was to present the Custa prototype within 6 month at an the Zero Emission Event Ecomobile in October the same year! The end goal for ECO Excavator consortium is to effectively provide retrofits of the conventional Custa excavator to the market.
Investors
- Van Beers Hoogeloon – Construction Company
- HFX Research – Specialist in heavy machinery
- H2Storage – Hydrogen Storage
Technology Partners
- HyMove – Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems
- Intercel – Customized Batteries
- ERF Service – Mobile Heating & Cooling
- Effective Assistance – Management Support
ECO Excavator Consortium
The ECO Excavator Consortium consists of investors and technology partners, sharing the project goal to develop a modular and energy-efficient propulsion system with which conventional excavators can be retrofitted to Zero-Emission Green Hydrogen Excavators.
Intercel combines its knowledge and experience, taking exact account of technical requirements, commercial interests and legislation.
Mies Melotte – Technical Advisor van Beers Hoogeloon
The solution
HyMove, supplier of the fuel cell solutions, has appointed Intercel as the specialist in customised batteries for electrification. After a period of close collaboration with the investors and technical partners, Intercel came up with a sound solution that fits in well with the ECO Excavator’s requirements: a 665.6V battery pack with an energy capacity of 66.56 kWh. By July 2022 we were able to present this powerful solution that, integrated with the other components such as the fuel stack and hydrogen tanks, will make Custa a viable solution for the construction industry. The design was made in close consultation with the project team, seamlessly fitting the available space in the excavator. Mies Melott, Technical Advisor: “Intercel combines its knowledge and experience, taking exact account of technical requirements, commercial interests and legislation.”
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